The present disclosure is aimed at natural or synthetic, modified or unmodified layered materials pre-exfoliated with plastics additives. The plastic additives are for instance selected from the group consisting of ultraviolet light absorbers, hindered amine light stabilizers, antioxidants, colorants, flame retardants, antimicrobials and fatty acid additives.
Properly exfoliated layered materials, e.g. clays, dispersed in a polymer substrate, can form a polymer nanocomposite with improved properties such as barrier, tensile strength, modulus, glass transition and/or flame retardancy. Current technology to prepare a polymer/clay nanocomposite is to employ specialized high shear processing equipment or in-situ polymerization techniques. These processes are not economically feasible for all applications.
Disclosed is a method for blending and extruding conventional plastics additives with layered materials to pre-exfoliate the layered materials. The pre-exfoliated layered material/additive mixture may be incorporated into a polymer substrate via common techniques and equipment to achieve a polymer nanocomposite with fully exfoliated layered materials.
Accordingly, disclosed is a method for preparing a natural or synthetic, modified or unmodified pre-exfoliated layered material, the method comprising
mixing a natural or synthetic, modified or unmodified layered material with one or more plastics additives selected from the group consisting of ultraviolet light absorbers, hindered amine light stabilizers, antioxidants, colorants, flame retardants, antimicrobials and fatty acid additives and
extruding the mixture.
Also disclosed is a mixture comprising a pre-exfoliated natural or synthetic, modified or unmodified layered material and one or more plastics additives selected from the group consisting of ultraviolet light absorbers, hindered amine light stabilizers, antioxidants, colorants, flame retardants, antimicrobials and fatty acid additives.
Also disclosed is a method for preparing a polymer nanocomposite, the method comprising combining the mixture comprising a pre-exfoliated layered material and one or more plastics additives with a polymer substrate and melt blending the combination.